Freedom Blueprint for Home Services | HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Leadership, Business Growth

Justin Deese | Home Service Industries
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast! Host Justin Deese delivers practical advice from his decades in the home service industry. Each week, discover strategies for success, avoid pitfalls, and hear real-life stories. Join our community to learn and grow together. Featuring guests like Tommy Mello from Home Service Experts, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch from Service Business Mastery, Jerod Williams from Wealthy Plumbers and Ara Mahdessian CEO of Service Titan. Visit www.FreedomBlueprintPodcast.com for more. Empowering leaders, fostering growth and a positive mindset. Your journey to success in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical starts here!

  1. 5d ago

    169 | The Cost of Indecision: Why Waiting Is the Most Expensive Call You'll Ever Make

    There's a decision sitting on your desk right now — and you already know which one. Maybe it's the tech who isn't going to make it. Maybe it's the price increase you've written four times and never sent. In this Freedom Fuel episode, Justin Deese makes the case that not deciding is still a decision — and usually the most expensive one you'll ever make. He shares the story of a tech he waited 11 months too long to let go, and breaks down exactly what indecision quietly costs you: momentum, culture, and your team's trust in your leadership. Then he gets practical. Indecision isn't a logic problem, it's a fear problem — fear of the wrong call, fear of never having enough certainty, and delays that feel like kindness but really aren't. Justin walks through the four moves that break the loop: put a date on it, sort reversible decisions from permanent ones, say it out loud even without an answer, and make the call you've already made in your head. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:34 — The Decision Sitting on Your Desk Right Now 2:23 — Welcome Back: Why Indecision Holds Leaders Back 3:00 — You Think You're Being Careful (You're Being Expensive) 3:19 — The Jimmy Story: Eleven Months of Avoiding a Hard Conversation 4:21 — The Real Cost: Why Your Team Stops Bringing Their Best 6:20 — Why We Keep Doing It: The Fear Problem 6:30 — Fear #1: The Wrong Call 6:55 — Fear #2: Waiting for Certainty 7:20 — Fear #3: When Delay Feels Like Kindness 7:53 — Move #1: Put a Date on It 8:15 — Move #2: Sort Reversible vs. Permanent Decisions 8:52 — Move #3: Say It Out Loud 9:20 — Move #4: Make the Call You've Already Made 9:56 — The Double Win: Business Momentum and Team Trust 10:45 — Final Challenge: Make the Call Before You Leave Today 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why indecision — not a bad decision — is the real threat to your business ✅ The hidden cost behind "being patient" with a problem employee (and why it isn't kindness) ✅ How to tell which decisions deserve two minutes vs. two weeks of deliberation ✅ The one sentence that gives your team clarity even when you don't have the answer yet ✅ Four practical moves to break the indecision loop before you leave the shop today Average leaders wait for certainty that never comes. Great leaders put a date on it and move. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with a leader who's been sitting on a decision too long #HomeServiceBusiness #Leadership #ContractorLife #BusinessGrowth #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #DecisionMaking #HomeServiceLeadership #TeamCulture #Entrepreneurship

    169 | The Cost of Indecision: Why Waiting Is the Most Expensive Call You'll Ever Make

  2. Aug 17

    168 | Working Hard vs. Being Trapped: What Nobody Tells You About the Grind

    Justin got called a fraud. Not in so many words, but the message was clear: how can you preach "freedom" in business while you're grinding harder than ever on a brand-new venture? It stung more than he expected, so instead of brushing it off, he sat with it, and realized the person asking had missed something huge: the difference between a phase and a trap. In this episode, Justin breaks down why every business goes through an infancy stage that demands hands-on grinding, and how to tell if your own hustle is building toward something or just keeping you stuck. He walks through the real test he uses to separate healthy hard work from being trapped: tactical work vs. strategic work. It's the same gut-check he used to answer that "fraud" accusation once and for all. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — Getting Called a Fraud for "Preaching Freedom" 1:33 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 1:58 — Working Hard vs. Being a Slave to Your Business 2:44 — The Four Phases Every Business Goes Through 3:07 — Why the Infancy Phase Demands the Grind 3:45 — Why Working Hard Still Feels Like Guilt 4:30 — The Highlight Reel Trap of Social Media 6:07 — Tactical Work vs. Strategic Work 6:50 — The Two Wins of Intentional Grinding 7:16 — Answering the "Fraud" Accusation 7:42 — This Week's Challenge: Circle Your Strategic Work 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why the early phase of any business demands hands-on grinding — and why that's normal ✅ The real difference between being "trapped" and being in a temporary, chosen phase ✅ How to separate tactical work (today's fires) from strategic work (tomorrow's systems) ✅ Why comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel is setting you up to feel guilty for nothing ✅ The one gut-check to run this week to find out if your grind is building something or just burning you out Average business owners feel guilty every time they're back in the grind. Great business owners know exactly which phase they're in — and keep building anyway. If you've ever wondered whether working hard makes you a hypocrite for talking about freedom, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with an owner who's grinding right now and feeling guilty about it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #ServiceBusinessOwner #BusinessMindset Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    168 | Working Hard vs. Being Trapped: What Nobody Tells You About the Grind

  3. Aug 10

    167 | Bend Without Breaking: The Leadership Test Every Business Owner Faces

    There's a week every business owner knows all too well — the one where every day hands you a new problem before you've even finished your coffee, where you're pulling every lever you know how to pull just to keep things standing, and a little voice creeps in asking, "Am I actually good at this, or did I just get lucky?" In this episode, Justin gets real about the rocky opening of his newest business location — long hours, problems he didn't see coming, and jobs he thought he'd left behind years ago. He breaks down why knowing the right move is only half the battle, and why the real key to surviving the hard weeks is staying flexible and humble enough to do whatever it takes — and building a team that can bend right alongside you. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Week That Tests Everything You've Got 1:43 — Welcome Back (Recording From a New Location) 2:40 — The Confession: Our Rocky Grand Opening 4:02 — The Real Weight of Building Something New 5:10 — Why We Let It Get So Hard (Ego, Comfort, and Grinding) 6:40 — The Trap That Doesn't Care What Industry You're In 6:58 — The Three Things That Actually Get You Through It 8:52 — The Double Win of Staying Flexible 9:35 — Your Challenge This Week 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why knowing the right move is only half of what gets you through a hard stretch ✅ The real reasons owners get stuck — ego, comfort, and the belief that grinding harder is always the answer ✅ Why "knowing your levers" only works if you're also willing to stay flexible when reality doesn't match the plan ✅ How building a team that flexes with you is what lets your business grow without breaking ✅ The one honest question to ask yourself about where you're still staying rigid Average business owners stay rigid when things get hard, hoping the plan they walked in with will hold. Great business owners flex, adapt, and lead their team through it — coming out the other side stronger, together. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with another owner who needs to hear it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessLeadership #TeamBuilding #Resilience #BusinessGrowth Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    167 | Bend Without Breaking: The Leadership Test Every Business Owner Faces

  4. Aug 3

    166 | Choose Your Hard: What Buying a Broken Restaurant Taught Me About Building a Business

    You can choose two hard things in business: the pain of pushing through, or the regret of backing off. Justin's been living that choice lately — not just in his home service business, but in a brand-new restaurant he bought and is rebuilding from the ground up. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on why he took it on, what the remodel has actually cost him in sleep and sanity, and why he'd choose the hard path again every time. Justin breaks down why owners fall in love with the finish line and forget the middle is going to hurt, and the three traps that keep pulling business owners into the same wall. Then he flips it: choosing your hard on purpose, protecting your people by hiring slow and training hard, and reconnecting with your why the moment things get painful. It's a real look at what rebuilding something broken actually takes — and why it's worth it. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Choice Every Owner Faces: Push Through or Regret Backing Off 0:43 — Behind the Scenes: Justin's New Business Walkthrough 1:12 — Buying and Rebuilding a Restaurant While Running a Home Service Business 2:10 — Why Good People and Systems Make or Break a Business 3:17 — The Remodel Reality: Equipment Breakdowns and Late Nights 4:21 — The Real Why Behind Choosing the Hard Path: Family and Legacy 5:13 — The True Cost of Rebuilding: Time, Energy, and Team Development 5:58 — Growth, Taxes, and Staying Resilient Through It All 7:06 — Three Reasons Owners Get Stuck (and Lose Sight of Their Why) 7:36 — Choosing Your Hard on Purpose 8:04 — Protecting Your Team: Hire Slow, Train Hard 8:43 — The Double Win: Resilient Businesses and Teams That Last 9:19 — The Call to Action: Confront the Hard Thing Today 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why every business owner has to choose between the pain of pushing through and the regret of backing off ✅ What buying and rebuilding a broken restaurant taught Justin about resilience and systems ✅ Why hiring slow and training hard is non-negotiable if you want your team to carry the business ✅ The real "why" behind choosing your hard on purpose — and how it changes everything ✅ The three reasons owners get stuck chasing the finish line, and how to avoid it Average owners look for the easy path and burn out searching for one that doesn't exist. Great owners choose their hard on purpose and build something that lasts — a business and a team that can outlive the founder. If you're in the middle of a hard season right now, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with an owner who needs to hear it today #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ElectricalBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #Resilience Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    166 | Choose Your Hard: What Buying a Broken Restaurant Taught Me About Building a Business

  5. Jul 27

    165 | What Your Pricing Is Really Saying About You

    Ever wonder why your most loyal customer skips you when it's time for the big job? You showed up fast, fixed the small stuff, even worked for free, and when the $20,000 system replacement came up, they didn't even call. That's not bad luck. That's pricing. In this solo episode, Justin Deese breaks down the real story of "Jimmy", a contractor who did everything right for years and still lost a big replacement job to "one of those big companies in town." Justin unpacks why pricing isn't just about the bottom line: it's a confidence signal. It shapes whether customers trust you with their smallest problems, or with their biggest decisions. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — Cold Open: The Customer Who Skipped You for the Big Job 0:45 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 1:15 — The Jimmy Story: Years of Free Work, Zero Chance to Bid 2:30 — The Owner Mindset Gap: Effort vs. Confidence 3:15 — Point 1: Cheap Pricing Builds the Wrong Kind of Trust 4:15 — What the Customer Was Really Thinking 5:00 — Point 2: How Free Work Lowers Perceived Value 5:45 — Reflection: Would Your Best Customer Call You First? 6:15 — Point 3: Pricing Is a Confidence Signal 7:15 — What Jimmy Should Have Done Differently 8:00 — Action Steps: Audit, Reframe, Lead the Conversation 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why customers reward confidence, not effort, even from the contractor they trust most ✅ How cheap or free pricing quietly signals "this work isn't worth much" ✅ Why big companies win the big jobs by looking safer, not by being better ✅ How to start the replacement conversation years before the system fails ✅ The exact audit to run this week on your free work and your replacement pricing Average contractors wear "I did it for free" like a badge of honor and wonder why the big jobs go elsewhere. Great contractors know pricing isn't just a number, it's proof they're worth trusting with the decision that matters most. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast, real conversations to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with a fellow leader who needs to hear it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #PricingStrategy #ContractorTips #CustomerTrust #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessGrowth Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    165 | What Your Pricing Is Really Saying About You

  6. Jul 20

    164 | The Trap of Doing Too Much: Why Your Business Can't Run Without You

    Most leaders think doing everything themselves is proof of their commitment. It's actually proof of how little they've built around them — and it's quietly costing them their business and their team's growth. When you catch yourself finishing work someone else could've done, there's one question that changes everything: are you leading, or are you just the bottleneck? In this solo episode, Justin Deese breaks down the trap of doing too much — why it looks like dedication but is actually keeping your business dependent on you. He opens up with his own story: years spent as the bottleneck, convinced he was just the hardest worker in the building, when the truth was he didn't trust anyone else to do it his way. That distinction between commitment and control is the one most leaders miss, and it's quietly costing them a team that can think for itself. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS0:00 — Cold Open: Still at the Shop at 7 PM 0:45 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 1:15 — The Trap That Looks Like Dedication 1:45 — Justin's Confession: Wearing Exhaustion Like a Trophy 2:30 — What Control Is Really Costing You 3:15 — The Jimmy Story: How "Helping" Trains Dependence 4:00 — Three Reasons Leaders Hold On Too Tight 5:15 — Five Moves to Climb Out of the Trap 7:00 — The Double Win: A Business (and Team) That Can Stand Without You 7:45 — Justin's Challenge: Hand One Thing Off Today 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:✅ Why doing too much isn't dedication — it's a sign of how little you've built around you ✅ How jumping in too fast trains your team to stop bringing solutions and start bringing problems ✅ The three real reasons leaders won't let go (faster, safer, feels good) — and why naming yours is the first step ✅ The five practical moves to start delegating today, from making two lists to coaching instead of rescuing ✅ Why a mistake on your team's part is the moment leadership happens, not proof you should take it back Average leaders wear their exhaustion like a trophy and call it dedication. Great leaders have the courage to hand off what matters and the patience to let their people grow into it. If you've built a business that can't run without you, this is the conversation you've been avoiding. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — real conversations to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with a leader who's carrying too much #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #Leadership #ContractorTips #TeamBuilding #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessGrowth #Delegation Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    164 | The Trap of Doing Too Much: Why Your Business Can't Run Without You

  7. Jul 13

    163 | Can't vs. Won't — The Leadership Mistake Bleeding Your Business Dry

    Most leaders are bleeding money and morale every single day, and never realize it, because they've got the wrong people in the wrong seats. When someone on your team is struggling, there's one question that changes everything: is it a can't or a won't? In this solo episode, Justin Deese breaks down the difference between ability and willingness, why you can't coach one of them, and exactly what to do about the other. He opens up with his own story: growing up convinced he'd play pro baseball, with all the willingness and work ethic in the world, and still not having the ability to get there. That distinction is the one most leaders miss, and it's quietly costing them their best people and their bottom line. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 - Cold Open: The Wrong People in the Wrong Seats 0:45 - The Biggest Leadership Mistake in Home Service 1:15 - Justin's Baseball Story: All the Willingness, None of the Ability 2:30 - Ability vs. Willingness: The Two Things That Determine Fit 3:30 - Why Coaching Has a Ceiling 4:15 - How to Tell the Difference (Inconsistency vs. Effort Without Results) 5:30 - The Decision: Same Seat, Different Seat, or Different Bus 6:45 - The Leader's Playbook: Diagnose, Talk, Offer a Path Forward 8:00 - It Was Never About Being a Good Person 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why the wrong people in the wrong seats is a silent, daily cost most leaders don't see ✅ How to tell a "can't" (ability) apart from a "won't" (willingness) — and why they need completely different responses ✅ Why coaching has a ceiling, and why that's nobody's fault ✅ The real symptoms: inconsistency signals willingness, effort without results signals ability ✅ The three-step playbook: diagnose honestly, have the direct conversation, offer a real path forward Average leaders let people sit in seats they were never built for. Great leaders have the courage to see it clearly — and the heart to handle it right. If you lead a home service team, this is the conversation you've been avoiding. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — real conversations to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with a leader who needs to hear it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #Leadership #ContractorTips #TeamBuilding #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessGrowth #Hiring Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    163 | Can't vs. Won't — The Leadership Mistake Bleeding Your Business Dry

  8. Jul 6

    162 | The "Home Field Advantage" Sales Process: How a 14-Person HVAC Shop Sells $25K Systems

    What if the secret to higher HVAC tickets wasn't a better pitch, but a better room? Justin Deese sits down with Ryan St. Michel of Grove Mechanical to break down the showroom sales process that tripled revenue in a town of just 7,200 people. In this Freedom Blueprint Podcast episode, Ryan shares how desperation pushed him away from bottom-of-the-barrel pricing and into a top-down selling system — five options, premium-first, every time. Then he walks through the purpose-built showroom that closes the deal: dual TVs, a wall of Google reviews, working equipment customers can touch and hear, and fresh chocolate chip cookies. Whether you run a small shop or think "that won't work in my market," this is a blueprint for differentiating on experience instead of price. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 - Meet Ryan St. Michel & "Motivational Bullying" 2:30 - Buying the Family Business & Tripling Revenue 4:13 - Where the Unique Sales Process Came From 6:30 - The Shift to Top-Down Selling & Five-Option Quotes 9:06 - Why More Options Beats One Bottom-of-the-Barrel System 10:05 - Top-Down Pricing and Beating Sticker Shock 12:17 - Walking Through the Full Lead-to-Sale Process 13:50 - Inside the Showroom: TVs, Reviews & Live Equipment 16:00 - The Chocolate Chip Cookie Strategy 17:00 - Home-Field Advantage & Building Trust 20:09 - Why 95% of Customers Come In to Buy 23:00 - "That Won't Work in My Market" — Debunked 24:34 - Shop Tours, Pack-Outs & Efficiency Wins 27:00 - KPIs, One-on-Ones & Coaching Techs to Sell 30:03 - Future Goals: Profit, People & Buying Back Time 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why Ryan switched from one-option, bottom-up quotes to five-option, top-down selling ✅ The "leave your mother in the truck" rule for recommending premium systems ✅ How to build a distraction-free showroom that does the selling for you (TVs, reviews, live equipment — and cookies) ✅ How ~95% of customers agree to come in for the in-person presentation ✅ Why the "that won't work in my small market" excuse is costing you money ✅ KPI tracking and one-on-ones that uncover the real reason techs aren't selling ✅ Pack-out systems that cut a furnace install from 8 hours to 3.5 "If you don't know you can have it, how would you ever buy it?" — Ryan St. Michel If you own or run a home service business and you've been competing on price instead of experience, this episode will change how you think about your sales process. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — real conversations with home service business owners who are leading better, growing faster, and building businesses that work for them. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with a contractor who needs to stop competing on price 👤 ABOUT THE GUEST Ryan St. Michel is the third-generation owner of Grove Mechanical, an HVAC company in Crookston, Minnesota. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS Grove MechanicalConnect with Ryan: Instagram 📣 ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? Follow Freedom Blueprint Podcast and leave a rating & review — it helps more contractors find the show. Share this episode with an owner who needs to hear it. #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #HVACSales #ServiceBusinessGrowth #SalesProcess #ContractorTips #BusinessGrowth #Showroom #TopDownSelling #SmallBusinessGrowth #TechnicianTraining #CustomerExperience Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    162 | The "Home Field Advantage" Sales Process: How a 14-Person HVAC Shop Sells $25K Systems
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About

Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast! Host Justin Deese delivers practical advice from his decades in the home service industry. Each week, discover strategies for success, avoid pitfalls, and hear real-life stories. Join our community to learn and grow together. Featuring guests like Tommy Mello from Home Service Experts, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch from Service Business Mastery, Jerod Williams from Wealthy Plumbers and Ara Mahdessian CEO of Service Titan. Visit www.FreedomBlueprintPodcast.com for more. Empowering leaders, fostering growth and a positive mindset. Your journey to success in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical starts here!

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